Man charged over Chetham's music school sex abuse

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A man has been charged by detectives investigating historical sexual abuse at music schools in Manchester.

Nicholas Smith, 59, of Malestroit, France, has been charged with the indecent assault of a teenage girl between 4 May 1976 and 3 June 1978.

The girl was a pupil at Chetham's School of Music at the time, police said.

Mr Smith is due to appear before Manchester Magistrates' Court on 13 June.

Former choirmaster Michael Brewer, 68, of Selly Oak, Birmingham, was convicted last year of abusing pupil Frances Andrade at the school in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs Andrade died after giving evidence at the trial Manchester Crown Court in January. She is believed to have killed herself.

Following Brewer's conviction further allegations emerged relating to other former teachers.

Claims were made against former violin teacher Wen Zhou Li who had already left the school.

He was arrested in February and released on bail until June pending further inquiries.

Duncan McTier, 59, of Woodland Gardens, Isleworth, Middlesex, a former teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), has been charged with four sex offences.

He is due to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 13 June.

Malcolm Layfield resigned from his position as head of strings at the RNCM after allegations he said that he had relationships with students made his position "untenable".

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